Southern Child

Untitled

Southern Child was Little Richard's fourth and final album for Reprise Records, due to be released in 1972. However, for unconfirmed reasons the album was shelved, and the tracks comprising the album were finally released in 2005 from Rhino Records in their Complete Reprise Recordings collection.

History

The sleeves notes for the Complete Reprise Recordings had it that: Cut at more or less the same time and in the same place as the Second Coming material, ten further songs were mixed, sequenced, assembled onto master reels, and delivered to Reprise. Having decided on the title Southern Child, the label even had the album art photographed: 'It was me milking a cow that they brought into the backyard of my home,' recalls Richard. But that was as far as it went. For reasons that remain hazy, Southern Child was never released... until now, more than 32 years after it was recorded.

An eleventh track recorded at the same sessions but not selected for the album (Though released with The Complete Reprise Recordings) was a 4:11m instrumental, Sneak The Freak.

Interesting that many of the tracks were copyrighted before the release of Second Coming.

Also interesting, that Richard performed "Burning Up With Love" on The Merv Griffin TV Show (USA) before the release of "Second Coming"; he also mentioned his "new" album on that show, "The Southern Child".

Track listing

1. "California (I'm Comin')" - (Randy Ostin, Richard Penniman, Keith Winslow) 3:16
2. "If You Pick Her Too Hard (She Comes Out Of Tune)" – (Richard Penniman) 3:51
3. "Burning Up With Love" – (Richard Penniman) 3:20
4. "Ain't No Tellin'" – (Randy Ostin, Richard Penniman, Keith Winslow) 5:54
5. "Last Year's Race Horse (Can't Run In This Year's Race)" – (Richard Penniman) 4:14
6. "Southern Child" – (Richard Penniman) 2:56
7. "In The Name" – (Richard Penniman) 2:57
8. "Over Yonder" – (Richard Penniman) 3:54
9. "I Git A Little Lonely" – (Richard Penniman) 1:43
10. "Puppy Dog Song" - (Richard Penniman, Chuck Rainey) 8:40

Personnel

• Little Richard – vocals, piano
• Lee Allen - tenor saxophone
• Jim Horn - sax
• Sneaky Pete Kleinow - pedal steel guitar
• Earl Palmer - drums
• Bob Love - unknown instrument according to Reprise Records